Guest's pet goes missing during booking

[Laura2592]

This is a new one, so thought I would share.

We had a recent guest bring a cat. We are pet friendly and don't make a distinction about what kind of pet. While we mostly host dogs, we have also hosted the occasional cat and a guinea pig. This particular recent guest left the screen door open and their cat got out.

There is a community of feral and farm cats near our property as well as any number of crawly critters that would attract a cat's attention. The guest was understandably upset and my first reaction was one of panic that the cat would never be found. We did go to the location to help search for the cat (hysterical guest at this point.) By some miracle I heard her crying and triangulated her to a small crawlspace under our deck. After about a half hour of cajoling and tuna, we were able to grab the cat and put her back inside.

So now we have to alter our house rules and pet policies to state that we are no responsible for pets going missing during stays, that we do not live on the property and can't be relied upon for pet rescues and that guests should microchip any pets that bring with them for their own safety. Any other pet friendly hosts have tips on dealing with missing companion animals?

[Sarah977]

Honestly, this seems like a total non-issue to me and no reason to add that wording to your listing. 

A guest letting their pet get out and run off has no more to do with you than if they weren't keeping an eye on their toddler and he ran out into the street.

It was nice of you to come over and help find the cat, but was over and above what most pet owners would ever expect of a host.

@Laura2592

[Laura2592]

@Sarah977yes, this guest was lucky we were available to help.

So you wouldn't add anything? Maybe we just say something in our house guide as opposed to the posted rules. I am sure I am not the first host this has happened to, so I am curious if anyone had some experience to share.

[Sarah977]

I think if you live in an area where there are endemic wild critters that could injure or eat a cat or dog, it's good to put that warning in the listing info, but if we're going to list all the the things that no sane guest, even one who is the type to try to get refunded for bogus complaints, would ever hold a host responsible for, that list could go on for pages.

The host is not responsible if you lose a earring outside in the grass and can't find it.

The host is not responsible if you leave a candy bar on the dashboard of your car and it melts in the sun.

The host is not responsible if a bird poops on the outdoor patio table during your stay.

The host is not responsible if your milk goes sour because you forgot to put it back in the fridge.

Etc.

You seem to think the guest would have somehow held you responsible if the cat had disappeared forever, but just because she was hysterical doesn't mean she would have done any such thing.  

@Laura2592 

[Laura2592]

@Sarah977 haha I'm laughing over your post. Thanks!

The hubs is Mr. Liability so he thinks that we need to add some kind of disclaimer.  I don't feel that we are responsible for this but I am curious if others have had this happen/how they have handled it moving forward. 

[Colleen253]

@Laura2592  "The hubs is Mr. Liability so he thinks that we need to add some kind of disclaimer".

I'm beginning to think a blanket "common sense" disclaimer to cover every dimwitted thing a guest could do is the way to go. Easier than ending up with a lsting that is thick like an epic novel.

[Laura2592]

@Colleen253  I think this is a great idea. I will toy around with some wording.

[Colleen253]

@Laura2592  Can't wait to read what you craft! I'd try, but I get way too impatient and snarky. Anything I write would be a fail. You are kind and diplomatic. 😊

[Colleen253]

@Sarah977 🤣🤣🤣

[Ute42 · Accepted solution]

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@Laura2592 

I think the solution to the problem is, that guests with pets just shouldn't leave the screendoor open.

[Laura2592]

@Ute42 indeed. Guests in general shouldn't leave the screen door open because insects get inside and then we get panicked phone calls that someone found a spider. I have not yet found a way to give people common sense if they don't have a share of it already🙃

[Sarah977]

I can never understand why anyone feels the need to bring a cat on vacation. I've had dogs and cats throughout my life, and it would ever occur to me to bring the cat along.

You can't leave a dog alone in the house for a week with a litter box, plus pet dogs go crazy without human companionship,  but anytime I went off somewhere, I just enlisted a neighbor, friend or relative to swing by and feed the cat.

[Laura2592]

@Sarah977I think it depends on the cat. We have three (one too many but we found him at our cottage, actually, starving and crying as a kitten.) He LOVES to travel. He is a terror to the other two cats who are older and don't have as much energy. When we stay at our cottage we take him and the dog.  Our dog gets meds twice a day so we prefer to travel with him when we can but if not, a trusted friend takes him in. No one is ever volunteering to take the bad cat LOL. We have not vacationed with him, and get a pet sitter to come and feed our cats when we are gone, but if we are at our Airbnb, he is there too. So I kinda get it.

I also get that extra diligence is needed when taking a cat to a strange place. They are territorial and get stressed so they may act out in a different way than a dog.  If they are a kitty who makes a break for the outside when a door is open, our place is not the location to be a hands off pet parent to your feline. We have too many other stray critters around and in the woods behind our property who are happy to snack on a stray cat with no street smarts.

[Sarah977]

I see it as different to bring your cat to your own vacation home that the cat is familiar with than bringing a cat along to a strange place. As you say, they can get pretty freaked out in an unfamiliar environment.

But I've known those kind of cats that want to come along. I call them dog cats- they're almost more dog-like than cat-like. My neighbor had one (out of 4 cats they had) who would follow us on long walks with the dogs up the arroyo. He didn't really seem to enjoy it at all, as he had to jump from rock to rock to avoid getting his feet wet, and would meow loudly in complaint the whole way, but he always insisted on coming along anyway. 

@Laura2592